Rohit Pawar was elected as the MCA chief on Sunday. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took a jibe at Rohit Pawar, the grandnephew of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, asking him to score a few runs before heading the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA). Rohit was elected as the MCA president, replacing Vikas Kakatkar. Rohit is the grandson of Sharad Pawar’s elder brother Appasaheb Pawar.
“Has Rohit Pawar ever played cricket? Ask him to first play one match and score five to 10 runs before taking charge… This is applicable to everyone, including myself, if I intend to head a cricket body,” said BJP leader Gopichand Padalkar, a bitter critic of the Pawar family. Criticising the Pawar family’s role on the sports field, Padalkar also commented on Sharad Pawar heading the wrestling federation. “Did he ever enter the wrestling bout? Similarly, Ajit Pawar headed a cricket body, and Supriya Sule a kho kho body… Did they ever play these sports?” he asked.
BJP MLA Nilesh Rane took a jibe at 37-year-old Rohit, and said, “What is Rohit Pawar’s contribution to the cricket field? His grandfather brought cheerleaders inside the cricket field. Let’s see what Rohit Pawar comes up with…”
Former MP Nilesh Rane, meanwhile, said, “Sharad Pawar headed various sports bodies, but the percentage of Marathi players during his tenure kept depleting.” Reacting to BJP’s criticism, Maharashtra NCP Spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said, “When BJP’s Ashish Shelkar was elected as the Mumbai Cricket Association president, we never objected… We always believed that there should be sportsman spirit in politics, but there should be no politics in sports. This has been NCP’s stand all along. Cricket bodies should have representatives with diverse backgrounds and opinions. People who are commenting should understand what they are saying…”
A first-time NCP MLA from Karjat Jamkhed constituency, Rohit was on Sunday elected as the MCA president as his panel won the elections with ease, by securing 22 of the 24 votes. Former Maharashtra Captain Shantanu Sugvekar, who was also in the race, bagged only two votes. Rohit has been elected for a three-year term, and has made it to the Apex Council after he got elected from the Affiliated Clubs category. He became the president in his maiden attempt at MCA, and is the second from the Pawar family — after Sharad Pawar, who was at the helm of the national cricket team for over a decade till 2016 — to head a cricket body.
“I have been making my contribution in the sports field, but I was very keen to work for my favourite sport — cricket. I have got an opportunity to work as the MCA President because of Pawarsaheb’s blessings… I feel fortunate. I will work hard…” Rohit tweeted.